So my lease is coming up on my e92 M3. I am looking at the 335i Msport or the 550i Msport, but can't decide. The difference of the payment is $400 from the 335i to the 550i. Any suggestions????

My suggestion, keep the M3.
Both 335 and 550 are completely different than your car.
Compare to the M3, the 335 is significantly lack of power; the 550 have the power but handle like a boat.
Make sure you can live with that.

I had a brand new E92 M3. Because of a growing family, I thought I could move to a 535i. Then I went a drove one. Big mistake. The 5 series is a genuine boat (no offense to anyone), and dead quiet inside if you're coming from an M3. Kinda freaky.

I ended up going with the ActiveHybrid 3, which seems about as fast as my M3 in many around-town-situations. It was only about $1000 more than a 335i, and gets 35+mpg. Could not resist!

So my lease is coming up on my e92 M3. I am looking at the 335i Msport or the 550i Msport, but can't decide. The difference of the payment is $400 from the 335i to the 550i. Any suggestions????

550i will feel more solid and it will be quieter, but you don't gain a lot of performance. If you are into leasing - 5 Hybrid would be my suggestion, it has more power than 535, because it can run the engine and the electric motor at the same time. Also lease programs are more aggressive on these, which will offset the price hike. And it is pretty cool to hop around town without engine kicking in.

Check out the December 2012 24 month lease program just released. Something like 73% residual for the 5 series 12K miles/yr.

That said, I drove both and like both for different reasons. Both F body cars feel more isolated than their predecessors. Its a shame, but BMW is going mass market. Maybe the MY14 LCI and "re-worked steering" thats been reported will help the 5 series. I'm not so sure they'll do a complete reversal and try to emulate what Porsche is doing with electric steering, but 5 series drivers may get something more like the way the F30 cars are. Just a guess. We shall see in about 8 months when the first reviews surface.

As far as interior and overall quality, sure the 5 series feels more upscale. I think it always has and should for its extra $.

I just went from a 535i M Sport to a 550i M Sport. I really miss the 535i if I had to do it again I probably jump into the M3 or M5. I hear it will take me a while getting used to the 550i but once I do I will love it... i am waiting for the love.

I just went from a 535i M Sport to a 550i M Sport. I really miss the 535i if I had to do it again I probably jump into the M3 or M5. I hear it will take me a while getting used to the 550i but once I do I will love it... i am waiting for the love.

Can you elaborate on why you miss the 535? Most people (especially on this forum) like more power not less? If you were coming from a 3 series and liked the nimbler feel or a 7 series and missed the added room I could understand but I can't figure out missing a less powerful engine in the same body style? Just curious... Not meant to be offensive.

I had a brand new E92 M3. Because of a growing family, I thought I could move to a 535i. Then I went a drove one. Big mistake. The 5 series is a genuine boat (no offense to anyone), and dead quiet inside if you're coming from an M3. Kinda freaky.

I ended up going with the ActiveHybrid 3, which seems about as fast as my M3 in many around-town-situations. It was only about $1000 more than a 335i, and gets 35+mpg. Could not resist!

i am in a similar boat... ran through pretty much the entire e92 family (328/335/M3) and now into a 535 M-Sport... it's A LOT more comfortable than all the others combined, but i miss the noise and tightness... thinking i should of gone with the 650 gran coupe... or the F10 M5, but i already have 2 friends who recently purchased...

My 535 M Sport 2010 it had more of a race car feel to it. The 550, although with more power, it feels rather lager and more like a cruiser. My passengers much prefer my new 550 for its smooth ride. Adding the Integral Active Steering might also contribute to the feeling of the car. The lack of backrest feature on the seats is a great negative point to me. I like to feel the car grounded to the road when I drive. I have not been able to get the same feeling on the 550 yet. The 550i M Sports is a very nice car with a lot of power but sometimes it's not only about how fast you go. It's about the car being an extension of the drive and the experience you feel when you drive it.
The manual mode brings me back some of it.

My 535 M Sport 2010 it had more of a race car feel to it. The 550, although with more power, it feels rather lager and more like a cruiser. My passengers much prefer my new 550 for its smooth ride. Adding the Integral Active Steering might also contribute to the feeling of the car. The lack of backrest feature on the seats is a great negative point to me. I like to feel the car grounded to the road when I drive. I have not been able to get the same feeling on the 550 yet. The 550i M Sports is a very nice car with a lot of power but sometimes it's not only about how fast you go. It's about the car being an extension of the drive and the experience you feel when you drive it.
The manual mode brings me back some of it.

I think you're comparing the last generation 5 series(E60) to this gen(F10). Because F10 model didn't start until 2011.
There should be no difference between the ride quality and driving feel of 535 and 550.

Thanks for the feedback bud. that explains a lot.
Any idea if they placed the batteries pack all the way on the back on the on the 535i (where the spare tire used to be) and I mean all the way close to the bumper? That's the way mine is. It think it should be better protected, unless it has something to do with the 51/49 balance.

battery pack is off to the right side... when you open the trunk, you can remove a portion of the "wall" on the right, where on the e92's there is a tool tray??

as for the 550 vs 535 handing, he is partially right... the cars do feel slightly different... again, as a comparison, the handing in a e92 328 is "tighter" than a e92 335... could have something to do with the torque or it could have something to do with the larger engine size / adding weight...

Everyone here has good points and I'll contribute my two cents as well. The wife has a 12 E92 335i M Sport, my weekend car is a 1M, and my daily is a F10 550i M Sport. All three have a flashed ECU (550, 335 = Dinan, 1M = Cobb) to make the car drive like it was designed.

After test driving both the 535 and 550, the 550 seems to handle and brake significantly better, although the suspension still seems a little soft considering they both had M Sport packages. To me the 535 was the most well balanced .. you can really feel the extra 400 pounds when driving the 550 and I think the brakes on both models are the same hence the worse braking feel in the 550i. Even with this said, I went with the 550 as the tuning potential is significantly better for the N63 versus the N55 (it's so disappointing that they watered down the N54 to cut costs) and -- the main deal breaker for me -- the 535 doesn't have a limited slip differential. How the hell can they offer a +$55k RWD turbo performance sedan and not include an LSD! There are so many less expensive cars that have a LSD it isn't even funny. If performance doesn't really matter to you, then the 535 is probably the better bet.

After thinking about it for a bit, it is my opinion that the 535 is the wrong car to cross shop against the 550. What the current 550 -- all 4,380 pounds of it -- really represents is a Lexus LS460 with a fantastic German drive train. The steering is awful, and the additional weight in the front noticeably affects both breaking and handling (compared to the 535, 335, and especially 1M) but it is extremely solid, smooth and fast (especially with the Dinan stage 2 tune). The 5 series truly is a short wheel base 7 series, which itself shares the same chassis with Rolls Royce. The ride quality and heft definitely communicate this fact and in many ways it is a bargain as a luxury car.

Options like soft closing doors, a remote opening truck, its ability to isolate the driver from the outside environment, and a higher interior material quality (it is a step above the A4 and 3 series) really appeal to the Lexus crowd to make up for its performance shortcomings. Please don't misunderstand me as I don't regret buying the 550 and enjoy it quite often for what it is.

My requirements for a daily driver are luxury, comfort, the ability to handle high speeds (80-100 MPH) with ease, and enthusiast drivetrain (RWD/AWD and forced induction). The 550 fits these requirements perfectly ... although the Audi S6 was not out at the time, it apparently gives the 550 a strong run for the money and is worth considering versus a 550.

If your requirements vary much from the ones above, I'd strongly suggest you consider test driving a '10-13 Audi S4 as it fills the performance and size niche between 3 and 5 series perfectly. My previous daily was a 2010 -- it was fast, got good mileage, has great styling, and (with a few minor modifications) handled very well. Now that it has a supercharged V6, the powerband is very wide and it runs extremely strong at stage 2 (ecu, intercooler, air intake, midpipes, cat back). The optional sport differential is a must and helps the car feel more like a RWD-based AWD car -- something that until recently has been a problem with Audi's.

Until BMW comes out with a true F30 3-series that appeals to enthusiasts, I can't recommend this car to an enthusiast until the next M3 comes out. The N55 stands in the shadow of the N54, the N20 aftermarket is small, and it is impossible to get a factory LSD in any model. Personally, I think it would be neet to see a 328 M Sport with factory LSD and ecu flash (275ish HP would do) or possibly hold off until the 355 LCI where they will hopefully will upgrade the N55.